Capital improvements stalled in Leipsic

LEIPSIC — In an effort to conform to a request from the State
Auditor, Leipsic Village Council passed an emergency measure on Monday
amending the village’s financial recovery plan.

“Primarily what it
is, we took dollars appropriated for capital improvements…just things
that aren’t absolutely, positively necessary…so we’ve taken those and
rearranged them,” explained Village Administrator Kevin Lammon.

Specifically,
Lammon told council that monies appropriated to pay for updating the
concession stand/restroom facility at Bennett Park, paving within the
village and improvements at the water plant are now redirected to
address the village’s obligation to the state.

Lammon further
proposed to council that the need to redirect funds appropriated for
improvements within the village chiefly stems from income tax revenues
that were roughly half of those originally anticipated. More troubling
still are forecasts from the State Auditor’s office that anticipate more
of the same.

“Apparently the economy has not recovered quite as
well as we estimated,” Lammon said. “In 2017, they’re estimating that
our general fund will go negative again.”

Council approved the
amendment on emergency in order to assure that it is available for
approval by the Financial Planning and Supervision Commission at its
next meeting on Sept. 4.

Council also approved the sale of a village-owned van, as well as a diesel generator, both of which see little use.

The
next meeting of the Leipsic Village Council will take place on Tuesday,
Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m. The change in the schedule makes accommodation
for the Labor Day holiday.